Estonia’s power grid operator Elering has reported that consumption from renewable energy sources in the second quarter reached 20.4%, a significant increase from last year’s average of 13.6%.

Of the green energy used, 76% of the electricity produced came from waste biomass and biogas, 21% from wind generation, and 3% from hydro sources. Since last year, production from biomass has increased 60% and from wind 35%, the company said in a 26 July release.

On 19 July, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Renewable Energy Association signed a memorandum agreeing to keep government subsidy levels for existing renewable energy producers at current rates while lowering the subsidies offered to newcomers.

Elering CEO Taavi Veskimägi said he would have liked to see the subsidies reduced for current producers as well, Postimees reported separately. From 2007 to 2010, subsidies for renewable energy producers grew from 5.6 to 61.5 million euros, according to officials.